Improvement in legislative voting-apparatus



, 4 SheetsSh eet 1. W. M. SPRINGER.

LEGISLATIVE VOTING APPARATUS.

No. 92,897 "Patented July 20, 1869.

4 SheetsSheet 2.

W. M. SPRINGER. LEGISLATIVE VOTING APPARATUS.

No. 92,897. Patented July 20, 1869.

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w. SPRINGER; a LEGISLATIVE VOTING APPARATUS.

No. 92,897. Patnte'd-July 2 0'. 1569'.

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W. MuSPRINGE'R. LEGISLATIVE VOTING APPARATUS.

No. 92,897. Patent'd Jul-y 20, 1869 frarzswm Saaiwz III III

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"WlLLIAM M. SPRINGER. OF SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS.

Letters Patent No. 92,897, dated July 20, 1869.

IMPROVEMENT m LEGISLATIVE VOTING-APPARATU5 The Schedule referred to in these Letter Patent and making part of the same.

nays of legislative bodies, and also for taking a di;

vision of the house/i when the record of ths votes is not required, the same being entitled The Legislative Voting-Appa1atus;7 and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is ,a plan of a legislative hall;

Figure 2 is a horizontal section of a portion of the apparatus;

Figure 3 represents a vertical section or longitudinal elevation; and

Figure 4 represents a transverse section.- Fig. 1, representing alegislative hall, shows the po sition of the apparatus at the clerks desk, and the connections with the same from the seats of the members, the red point A indicating the position of the yea-apparatus, and the blue point 'N that of the nay.

I The red and blue lines indicate wires connecting each members desk with the-two apparatus. These wires'must pass through the desks into the floor, and under the floor to a point, B, immediately in front of the clerks desk.

A box or space under the floor, immediately in front of-the clerks desk, should be constructed for the proper be distributions! the wires, so thin; the wires from eachdesk' of the members, Mr. Us for instance, may connect with the key in the apparatus, which fislzls and makes a mark opposite or beforeMr. Os name on the printed alphabetical list-s, previously placed upon the scales at b, as shown in fig. 3.

These wires maybe constructed upon the same principle that bells are hungin private houses or hotels, or upon any of the known methods that will produce the desired end. Nothing new is claimed in this respcct.

Fig. 2 represents two horizontal sections.

I A B extend to the line A B in fig. 3, and B 0 extend to the line 330 in said fig. 3, and by. comparing the lines A B, B O, Sac, on each of the figures, the positions of the various sections will be clearly explained.

There are only a few keys a represented. They are to be extended, in likelnnnner, in the direction of the line M N, and the line M N is to be. extended far enough to give room for as many keys a in each apparatus as there are members of the legislative body.

Fig. 3, representing aa'ertical section, gives a very clear idea of the construction of the apparatus. This fignrc,'ss are figs. 2 and 4, is drawn upon a scale of full size.

S represents the top of a pair of scales, which may be constructed, expressly for each apparatus, upon any of the known forms, care being taken that the scales be true, and such as willennble the clerk to tell, in the shortest possible time, the exact weight of the keys a that may be upon the scales at any given time. The marks to indicate the weight must indicate the weight of each key, and not ounces and pounds.-

The scales below 0 will boasupported upon an excentre, constructed in any of the known forms, by means of whichthe scales may be lowered and elevated, for the purposes hereafter explained.

Upon the surface b, place printed alphabetical lists of themembers names, with black impression-pa mbetween each list.

The catch d is kept out, so as to hold up the key a. bya spring, 1; the two being attached at g to a supnol A slight pull upon the line 0 has caused the key a to be relieved of its support, and it has dropped upon 4 the scale.

The points of thekeys being sharp, their weight and fall cause them to make a mark.

In the yea-apparatus the mark is erect, thus, I. In the nay-apparatus the mark is contrary, or horizontal, thus, This is to prevent confusion of the lists after the votes are taken.

Fig. 4 represents a transverse section, and will explain itself. It is to be continued, as explained in fig. 2, to give room for as many keys a as'there are mem- The operation of the voting apparatus is simple and eflcctlve. When a question is put to the house, and the years and nays or a division is demanded, the members remain seated at their respective desks, and simultaneously cast their votes.

Thosevoting in the alfirmativo will pull slightly upon the wire connected with the yea-apparatus, and those voting upon the negative side will pull the nay wire:

The keys a will be relieved of their support, and fall upop the scales 8, makings mark (I or --)before each members name who has voted.

The keys 0 remain upon the scales, and each key a being of equal weight, and a unit of weight, the weight of the whole will indicate the whole-number of those voting.

. A separate scale under each apparatus,anil the keys being of uniform weight, the 'clerk can thus weigh the result instead of having to count it. Alphabetical lists of the yeas and ays, with impression-paper placed between each, must be prepared heforchand, and so printed and placed upon the scales that the keys a, in'fnlling, make the marks before the right names.

From one to ten copies of the yeas and nnvs may be taken each time, just as the clerk may llesile.

\Vhen' the members have voted, the clerk immediately weighs the result, which may he announced at once. The scales are then lowered, say a half inch, by means of the ex-centre. The keys (1-, as will be seen in fig. 3, will then he supported upouthe lower floor of the apparatus, and the lists of the years and nays, being relieved from the weight of the keys,'1nay be withdrawn fromthe scales.

By means of the ex-centre, the clerk will then elevate the scales until the keys a are returned to their places, and held up by the catches d.

The scales may then he lowered to the proper position for receiving another vote, an'd other-lists may be placed properly upon the scales preparatory to the next vote.

By means of this apparatus,-the yeas and nays may be taken, recorded, and counted in any legislative body, upon any question, in less time than a minute. It is hardly possi le that mistakes should occur. This will make it quite unnecessary for the clerk to read over,

in the hearing of the house, the names of those voting in the ali'irmative and in the negative.

The number of copies of the yeas and nays taken will enable the clerk to supply copies to the olticial rcportcrs and to correspondents of the newspaper-press.

When a division onlyis required, the printed lists need not be used, and the result can be weighed and announced in a moment.

What I claim as my invention. and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The combination of the vertically-acting catches (I and pivoted keys a, controlled by springs 1", connected to the L-shaped standards in, all arranged upon a. suitahle'franie, and operated by cords, or their equivalents, for recording the votes of a legislative or other body by weight, substantially as specified. 7

- WM. M. SPRINGER.

\Vitncsses:

GEORGE I KETTELL, CARL Srcxnrm. 

